Car choice: Fiat or Peugeot for a novice driver?

Celine Lawrence is a brand new driver with a flexible budget to spend on her first car – but it must be an automatic

The Panda is cute and practical with its five doors... but will its boxy square look put young buyers off? (Fiat)

A car for the head

This is going to be an insurance-based answer. The stats indicate that young drivers are more likely to be involved in an insurance claim, so the premium will be higher. It is rare that a new driver will pay less than £1,000 for a year’s cover, and often it is more. Certainly a higher specification vehicle, say with air conditioning as standard and an automatic gearbox, will command a higher insurance quote than on a more basic model with no frills. For me, in this circumstance, the obvious choice would be an older Fiat Panda 1.2 Eleganza Dualogic (automatic). A 2007 model will cost about £1,500.

The 107 is great for urban driving but will set you back twice as much as the Panda (Peugeot)

A car for the heart

Then again, if Celine does not like the look of the Fiat Panda which is cute but just a bit square (though very practical with five doors), there is always the Peugeot 107. This has a lovely friendly shape that I believe youngsters these days will warm to. It is a small, light and nimble car which is perfect for buzzing around town and also beyond. The three-cylinder engine is noisy but frugal. A 2009 model 1.0 Urban 2-tronic costs just £20 to tax for a year, and an automatic version with 40,000 miles on the clock is £3,488.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com